UNCA Reading on April 20

On Monday, April 20, 7 p.m. in the Laurel Forum, Chris Hoke will be reading and speaking about his new book, Wanted: A Spiritual Pursuit Through Jail, Among Outlaws, And Across Borders. He will be joined by Neaners, a former full time gang leader whose life was changed during a period of solitary confinement in a Washington State maximum-security prison. Brief bios of Chris Hoke and Neaners are found below. A flyer announcing the event is attached.

 

The reading is sponsored by the UNCA Lit Club and the Creative Writing Program.

 

Bios:

 

Chris Hoke is a jail chaplain and pastor to gangs and violent offenders in Washington’s Skagit Valley. Through his work with the organization Tierra Nueva he cofounded a coffee-roasting business, Underground Coffee, which employs men coming out of prison and addiction, and connects them to agricultural partners in Honduras. Hoke received his BA from UC Berkeley and his MFA in creative nonfiction from Seattle Pacific University. Hoke’s work has been featured on NPR and in The Sun, Sojourners, Image, Modern Farmer, andChristian Century. Photos, radio shows, coffee and more at: www.chris-hoke.com

 

Neaners, born José Israel Garcia, was a fulltime gang leader much of his young life--until his heart and future changed inside a solitary confinement cell, in a Washington State maximum-security prison. A prominent voice in Chris Hoke's new book, WANTED, Neaners now works with Hoke to reach those in gangs, in the criminal life, and in solitary confinement cells, with the same love that found him in those places. He is a new voice for these worlds, standing in universities, churches, and courtrooms helping bridge the mainstream and the margins.